The present invention generally relates to a photographic processing method and a photographic processing apparatus for processing exposed photographic film material and/or photographic copy material. A photographic processing apparatus includes individual processing stations, through which the exposed film material and/or photographic copy material passes in succession.
Photographic laboratories which process exposed film material of certain types are increasingly under pressure from their clients, who wish to have their orders filled in ever shorter periods of time. To this end the individual processing steps--from the receipt of the exposed film material to the preparation of the desired number of copies of a desired format, usually paper prints in a format of 3".times.4.5" to 5".times.7.5", and finally to packing of the negatives and prints--are performed by various high-speed machines, with some manual support. The individual machines operate independently of each other and at separate speeds. A photographic processing apparatus that performs the necessary process steps comprises the following processing machines or processing stations and activities:
film splicer: the film tins are removed from the order bags and opened and the film is removed; a number of film rolls are spliced together and coiled on a reel; PA1 film processor: the exposed film is developed; PA1 film notcher: the image positions on the film are identified and the film is marked with a notch for the subsequent processing steps; PA1 printer: the desired number of copies of the developed film negatives are created on unexposed copy material (photographic paper); PA1 copy material processor: the exposed copy material is developed; PA1 final processing: the film is cut into short strips (usually of four pictures each); the individual pictures on the developed tape-like copy material are cut; film strips and corresponding pictures are repacked into the order bags according to assignment.
The film material and copy material are coiled onto rolls between individual processing machines and are usually transported manually. Management and transport of the film rolls or copy material rolls and of the order bags is personnel-intensive and often represents a source of error when individual film rolls, paper rolls, or order bag bundles are mistakenly interchanged. The rolls are made as large as possible in order to reduce the number of necessary manual transport runs between the individual processing stations. A roll of film or a roll of copy material is only moved to the next processing station when it is full. The result is long throughput times for individual client orders.
Film and copy material processors operate most economically when running at a constant speed and when they are continually filled with film or copy material. If the preceding stations operate more slowly than the corresponding processors due to the fact that the throughput times (development times) of the undeveloped exposed film material or copy materials are predetermined by the selected process, a sufficient number of supply rolls must be produced before the processors are started in order to assure the latter's continuous operation. Thus, the throughput time for a client order is further extended unnecessarily by the processing apparatus. In addition the necessary expense in terms of planning is further enlarged with respect to logistics and roll management.